Middle Ground
by Neko-sama no Kokoro
Summary: In order to destroy the barriers between two unlike things, a change must be made. [AU] [Inuyasha x Kagome, Miroku x Sango]
1. Prologue

The Middle Ground

Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, he'd keep his dog ears when human.

Prologue: An Introduction

This story does not take place in the universe we know.

How could it? Could a world with the technological advances we have today fit with a world that has the social systems of Feudal Japan? Could the world today be condensed into two countries, only one which is ruled by humans? Could the world today even begin to comprehend the idea of demons, known as youkai, let alone contain a territory completely controlled by them?

We'll never know, of course, but one can always speculate.

For this reason, this story exists in an alternate universe. This universe may have existed at some point, and it may have not. Perhaps it still exists. Unless we have found a portal to such a world (the Bermuda Triangle, perhaps?), there will not be any visits between the worlds any time soon.

Enough of comparisons; the background of such a unique land is required.

It is believed that once, many years ago, youkai and humans lived in peace together. There was a sort of tribal society containing both species, who each had their own duties to perform within the community. Co-existing in harmony, the peace lasted many years.

That is, until three of the great youkai arose in an attempt to overthrow the humans, and take control of the land.

These three – known as Kijin, Megumi, and Inutaisho – were known as the founders of the modern society by both humans and youkai.

They created a new world. While Kijin, a dragon youkai wished for total control over the humans, as youkai were obviously superior in power, Megumi, a neko youkai, desired to continue a semblance of peace over the world and refused to allow domination of an entire race. Inutaisho, an inu youkai, recognized that the youkai, however physically strong, were outnumbered by the humans. He, too, agreed with Megumi on the topic of humans.

Thus, two separate kingdoms were created: The Youkai Kingdom, of the South-West lands, and the Human Kingdom, of the North-East lands.

The revolt resulted in few casualties thanks to the outlined future for humans, and for a few centuries, peace reigned once more. The empires, though separate, did not break their contact, and communicated often through trades.

And then… the wars began.

Little is known about how the first war began. Some believe that it was Kijin's revolt against the humans, as he showed open dislike towards the weaker race. Others say it was Inutaisho's temper, or the fault of a more prejudiced human emperor. Some even believe it was a complete misunderstanding during one of the negotiations, or blackmail was involved, or a particularly mad human or youkai became a murderer of the other species (which had been unheard of until the war).

No matter the reason, the wars began. Humans and youkai alike developed a fierce hate for each other, and these wars claimed the lives of many each year.

And so we come to the present day: the year 2005 of Japan, 450 years since the beginning of the wars.

Inutaisho rules the Youkai Empire, as Kijin was killed in the wars in the year 1780 and Megumi dislikes war of any kind. Higurashi Kamemaru rules the human empire, along with his wife Michiko. The two rulers dislike each other greatly, and with the technological advances war has become more deadly than anyone would ever have believed to be possible.

Kamemaru-sama's daughter, Kagome, is fifteen, and of the appropriate age of marriage in both the youkai and human empires. Michiko-sama has noted that a close noble friend of hers, Izayoi-sama, has a son of the same age as Kagome-hime. What mothers wouldn't like their children to be married to the child of a close friend?

Even though no one has actually seen Izayoi-sama's son… The fact that his existence is recognized seems to be enough for most people.

Oddly enough, the noblewoman never married, which is considered odd in such a society. Most believe her husband died soon after the wedding – though rumors have been spread.

Today is June 11, 2005. A new war began twelve days ago, initiated by Higurashi-sama after a group of youkai raiders massacred a party of human naturalists on their monthly walk. Kagome is anxious about the upcoming marriage, though thankfully she does not have to be married until late August, after her fiancé's birthday (though hers is in a few weeks). Wishing to play a larger part in the actions of her country, she has devised a plan to run away.

Of course, Michiko-sama has other plans. The next day, she is to meet with Izayoi-sama, though her son will not be present. With her plans carefully laid out, Kagome hopes to find some time to escape before the war ends and she is married to a boy she has never met!

Thus begins our tale…

A/N: I'm so tired of the stories that have demons and humans against each other. It's always Inuyasha is a prince of the demons, Kagome a princess of the humans, they fight, fall in love… and, well, you understand the rest. I had this idea while ranting about how most Inuyasha fanfiction seems to bring out his demon side. In my stories, his human side is equally, if not more predominant. After all, he's half human, he grew up among humans, lives among them… Wouldn't he be used to such a life?

So there's a little twist on this story from the typical ones. I'm still wondering if I should have a Sess/Kik or Sess/Kagura pairing as a minor pairing… No Sess/Rin!

Hoping to have more inspiration soon! Tomorrow, perhaps?


	2. Something Expected

The Middle Ground

Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, I wouldn't have to write disclaimers at the top of every chapter. Does anyone actually care? Everyone knows that Takahashi-sama owns Inuyasha… and that's not me.

Chapter 1: Something Expected

The Higurashi household awoke on the morning of June 11, 2005 with the sound of an alarm clock ringing to a fast-paced song popular with teenagers these days (also known as G.A.M.E., by Ayumi Hamasaki). Why on earth the teenage girl of the house had set her clock to such a tune, no one would ever know. Perhaps it was because it was loud enough to awaken her, but not of the irritating nature of the stereotypical alarm clock?

Possibly, but nevertheless, it didn't work. One hit to the snooze button and the inhabitants fell peacefully into sleep once more…

…For fifteen minutes.

After a few rounds of the alarm clock vs. teenage girl, an hour had passed and the six human members of the house were in a hurry to get ready for the day and rush to their respective jobs or school (with the exception of Higurashi Jii-chan, who ran the family shrine and therefore was allowed a few extra hours of sleep).

Kamemaru was off to govern the human empire and watch the troops, as his job had become since the newest war began. Michiko was a successful cook, and ran her own bakery. Kagome and Souta attended school, which started at 8:00 exactly.

Unfortunately, the family awoke at 7:50. Ten minutes was allotted to the morning necessities; being the children of the Human Emperor did not mean that lateness went unpunished.

Ah yes… Kagome had faced detention many times after school due to the fact that she was simply not a morning person.

This was one thing that Michiko pointed out when referring to her daughter's future husband. "Izayoi-chan says her adorable son hates waking up in the mornings! You two will be perfect for each other!"

"So is he ever late for school because the alarm clock doesn't work?" Kagome asked in a tired voice. She had grown used to the impending marriage, and even come to accept it (though that didn't mean she had to _like_ the idea, or her fiancé).

"Actually, he's home-schooled. Perhaps that would be an option for you, Kagome-chan. You can't have detentions when you're at home."

Not that her mother would ever get around to hiring a private tutor or anything of the sort; Kagome only had two more years of school, after all, and the idea had been presented years ago. If it hadn't happened then, it wouldn't happen now (so Kagome believed).

Today was yet another day to face detention and her three friends: Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka. Kagome didn't know which was worse sometimes; those three could be very nosy and blunt at times.

The conversation at lunch was no exception:

"Kagome-chan, is it true you're going to be married this summer?"

"Really, Kagome-chan? Have you met him yet?"

"Is he older than you? Is he good-looking and rich?"

Kagome sighed. The only thing her friends seemed to be interested in was men; though it came as no surprise since they would all be looking for husbands soon, before the end of middle school.

"Yes, I am to be married this summer. No, I have not met him yet, he's younger than me – my birthday's in a few days, why else would I wait until the summer – and why would I care if he's rich; for that matter, why would you as we're all well-off?"

"Oh…" Yuka pouted for a moment. "By the way, Okaa-san may have found a husband for me! Isn't that wonderful? He's a powerful human lord, a bit older than I am!"

Eri frowned. "Isn't that lord nearly thirty?"

"Who cares? He's rich, powerful, quite handsome, and it's better than being married to an old fart!"

"I'd rather have a husband who's _hot_," Eri grumbled.

"As long as he's not ugly, old, or poor, I'm happy," Ayumi said cheerfully.

"And I really don't care," Kagome muttered. "I wish I knew if the guy was nice, though…"

"Who is he?" Yuka asked. "Maybe my mother knows him, or his father or something of the sort. She knows all kinds of nobles, you know."

"I doubt she knows him; he's our age, remember? Mama says he's the son of Izayoi-sama… the unmarried noblewoman with the purple eyes, remember? She's so pretty… and kind…"

"Izayoi-sama!" Ayumi gasped. "_No_ one knows about her son!"

"He must have some kind of birth deformity or something, if no one's ever seen him," Yuka added.

Eri nodded. "Maybe he's just really ugly."

"Well, _thanks_ for making me feel better about this! If he wasn't younger than me, I'd be married to him by the end of the month! Kami-sama, you guys really know how to cheer someone up about such… things." With that, Kagome's face turned into a pout.

The three friends sighed.

"Kagome-chan, I'm sure he's not _that_ bad," Eri said reassuringly.

"If he is, you can always come to us for assistance! We'll set you up with someone perfect!" Yuka exclaimed.

Ayumi gaped at the others. "How can you say such things?" she asked, clearly shocked. "She'll be _married_! Besides, Izayoi-sama is a wonderful and beautiful woman, and I'm sure her son will be as well."

"What? A woman?" Yuka muttered.

The wavy-haired girl sent her a sharp glare.

"Uh… thanks again, guys," Kagome said, nervousness evident in her voice. "But, you know, I don't think I'm going to marry him…"

"**_What!_**" the friends exclaimed in unison.

"…because I plan to run away tomorrow," the hime finished.

No response came. Kagome waved a hand in front of their blank faces, to no avail. Were they really that surprised at her carefully devised plan that she had thought of last night? Was it that good?

Ayumi was the first to gain composure after the shock. "Kagome-chan, why would you consider running away? Where would you run to? Why would you choose to run away over marrying a person who will probably be a nice, handsome man… er, boy?"

"I think I'd run to the Youkai Empire," Kagome mused out loud. "I've heard they have some humans there, living peacefully. Maybe one of the villages to the north would take me in?"

"But Kagome-chan, why would you run away?" Ayumi repeated.

"I don't know him, Ayumi-chan! All kinds of things could happen because he's a stranger to me! What if he's not nice? I wouldn't know! I've never met him!"

"You're going to meet him before you marry him!" Eri was still suffering the effects of shock, but they had worn off enough to allow her to speak.

Kagome shook her head. "It doesn't matter! I will run away tomorrow to the Youkai Empire and… and will you please keep this a secret?" she finished in a whisper. "If my father finds out…"

"He will have our heads!" Yuka screeched at her.

"Calm down, Yuka-chan. I'm sure Higurashi-dono is not _that_ cruel. After all, Kagome-chan will leave a note or something, right?" Ayumi asked with a pointed look at the mentioned girl. "Your parents shouldn't have to worry that you've been kidnapped or something."

"I suppose," Kagome muttered resignedly. "Mama would worry even if I left a note, though… Souta would take comfort, you know. I think that would be a good idea." She smiled at the other girl and reached across the table to wrap her arms around Ayumi in a hug. "Thank you Ayumi-chan! I knew I could rely on you!"

Yuka and Eri exchanged glances. "So, have we been forgotten?"

Kagome turned her smile to them. "No… I just haven't had suggestions for my wonderful plan to run away and start a new life where I can marry the wonderful man I choose."

Two pairs of dark eyes met her azure ones, excitement shining brightly.

"If it helps you meet your soul mate and future husband, we'll do anything!"

The sun set in a blaze of colours later that night, opening the sky for the half-moon to rise and dominate the dark expanse with the stars for a short time. Normally, Higurashi Kagome enjoyed watching the sun's demise, for it was such a brilliant display that had yet to be rivaled in beauty, except, perhaps, in the sunrise. This night, however, she was busy in preparations for the next day.

"I can't bring much," she whispered, "so I have to take my necessities… then sort those necessities… then sort them so they only fit into one backpack…"

This, however, was a near-impossible chore. Currently, clothes were strewn haphazardly around her room, having been rejected from her travel needs. She had already discarded most of the garments she had originally chosen, and it had become increasingly hard to make a decision when all her favourites were left.

Unfortunately, these favourites happened to be large enough a number to fill three suitcases. Kagome had one bright yellow backpack at her disposal. She was very much in trouble.

Tapping her lips with an index finger in deep thought, she reached over to a formal snow-coloured kimono, patterned with magenta blossoms and birds. As much as she loved how she looked in it, white would dirty easily in the woods. Besides, white made her look paler than she already was from staying in the palace.

A knock on her door made her pause in mid-toss, eyes widening in surprise. She couldn't let anyone know about her plan! They would stop her, put her under guard and possibly reschedule the date of her marriage to be even sooner than August! This couldn't happen!

In an act of desperation, she shoved most of the clothing off of the bed, packing the remaining outfits into the yellow bag. Closing the top of the bag and hiding it under her pillow, she hesitantly called, "Who is it?"

The door opened a crack and a dark-haired head, belonging to Kagome's personal maid and close friend, Sango, peeked in. "Kagome-hime, your mother requests your presence," the former taiji-ya said calmly.

Nervously, Kagome approached the door. "Do you know why, Sango-chan?"

"Unfortunately not, Kagome-chan, but I assume it has to do with your upcoming marriage." Sango smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure it's not too bad! By the way…," the door opened a bit more, "what happened to your room? It looks like a tsunami hit you… except a lot drier, of course."

A slight blush formed on Kagome's cheeks. "I was simply… rearranging my clothes, Sango-chan! There's nothing to worry about." She pushed past the taller girl into the hall, looking back at her friend. "Are you coming?"

"Of course, Kagome-chan. I'm sure you're not planning anything devious." Sango rolled her magenta eyes and raised an eyebrow. "Kagome-chan… What _are_ you planning?"

"Nothing, Sango-chan! At least…I can't tell you, all right? I'm sorry…" Kagome sighed and looked sadly at Sango, biting her lip from the temptation to spill her carefully-devised plan to the taiji-ya. Sango may have been a close friend of hers, closer than the other schoolgirls, but she was also more likely to tell the Emperor or Michiko.

Sango would just have to find out the same way the others did – through the note she would leave on her pillow before she left.

Fixing a smile on her face, Kagome followed Sango to her mother's chambers, hiding the worries that surfaced whenever she thought of the engagement.

Kagome knew there was something to worry about when she saw the smile on her mother's face.

"Kagome-chan, how have you been today?" Michiko asked, gliding over to her daughter and enfolding her in a warm hug. "Was school boring, as you usually say? Have you received the new kimono I bought for you yesterday – it's a beautiful colour, you know, plum, I believe?" She paused to let the blue-eyed girl answer, the smile never leaving her face.

"School was all right, Mama," Kagome answered, trying to keep all hints of nervousness and worry out of her voice. "I did see the kimono; it is absolutely beautiful… Thank you very much." Her answering smile was less genuine than her mother's, but few would notice any difference.

Evidently, her mother was not one of those few.

"It really is beautiful, isn't it? Izayoi-chan loves the colour, you know. I'm not sure about her son… although they say taste in such things as clothes can be inherited!" Michiko chirped. "After all, we both love green, don't we?"

"Well… yes," Kagome admitted. "What if he doesn't like the colour, Mama?"

_And when did I care about pleasing him?_ she thought. _I don't. I am merely concerned with making sure that Mama doesn't learn about my escape attempt. _She frowned. _Now I sound like a trapped prisoner… though I am, aren't I? In a sense?_

However, her mother _did_ notice the frown. "Don't frown, Kagome!" she exclaimed. "You're so pretty when you smile. So many people have commented on that… I believe Izayoi-chan and her son will be no different."

_If he's not a total jerk who enjoys insulting me, of course. They're probably the same as other nobles… arrogant, snobby, prejudiced and boring._ Of course, her mother, the Empress, was bubbly and vibrant – completely different from the typical upper-class woman. Kagome doubted her mother would speak so highly of another rich lady if she were not different from the usual people of her father's court.

"I will be sure to remember that, Mama," Kagome said, pasting the fake smile back on her face. Even that, however, was erased at her mother's next words.

"That would be wonderful, Kagome-chan! I do hope you won't forget it by tomorrow; after all, we are meeting Izayoi-chan and her son for lunch!"

Kagome's expression had turned into one of surprise and horror.

"T-tomorrow!"

"Why not, Kagome? You are to be married to her son in a few months; you should have _some_ time to get to know him! After all, I'm looking for grandchildren, not a divorced or unhappy daughter!"

"Mama… I…" There was no defense against a mother with dreams and plans for her daughter. The mere thought of responding negatively to such a woman was immediately erased from Kagome's mind – it was impossible to even think such a thing!

Of course, if one was naturally sadistic and cruel, the thought would have grown to epically evil proportions. However, Kagome was kind, caring, and would never _dream_ of betraying her mother.

"All right," she conceded. She was going to run away before the wedding, after all, so it wasn't as if she had to _marry_ the boy.

Wait – couldn't she run away _tonight_? That way, she wouldn't have to meet her fiancé and his mother at all. Less guilt would weigh down on her, and her mother would certainly never expect something like this so soon after the conversation they had just been having.

As Kagome's edited plans took shape in her mind, her mother was busy discussing the details of the following day.

"Oh, you must wear the plum kimono, dear; you would look fabulous in it! On the other hand, you do have that beautiful white one – with the birds and blossoms on it? It contrasts wonderfully with your hair…"

Kagome-hime was snapped out of reviewing the procedure for escape when she heard her mother ask a question. Failing to remember the question, she came up with a general answer. "Um… yes?"

Her mother gave her a confused look. "I asked you what you believe you should wear tomorrow, Kagome. Are you daydreaming again? Oh, to be young again and daydreaming of the handsome prince who would rescue me from the horrors of school and ride away on a white horse and make me his Queen… Don't all girls dream of that?"

"Except it actually happened in your case, Mama," Kagome said with a laugh. Her mother's reminiscing had lightened her mood considerably (although the new escape plan had helped) and her smile had become more genuine.

"In a sense, Kagome. I did have to finish school, and your father did not sweep me up onto his horse and ride away – I actually knocked him down on the street, you know! I felt so embarrassed!"

"It isn't exactly the most romantic way to meet someone, isn't it?"

"No, it really isn't… but we had a happy ending, didn't we? Oh dear," Michiko commented, with a glance at the pink clock hanging over the door. "It's getting late, Kagome-chan!"

"There are still a few hours until midnight," Kagome said.

"Kagome-chan, you must have more than four or five hours of sleep in the morning! You are meeting Izayoi-chan and her son!"

"Mama… I'll be all right." In a last attempt to reassure her panicking mother, Kagome said, "After all, I only need six or seven hours of sleep."

Her mother blinked at her with wide brown eyes. "Kagome-chan! You need at _least_ ten or eleven hours of sleep in order to be fully refreshed for the next day! Is that why you are often late for school?"

"…perhaps?" Kagome whispered nervously.

"In that case, I will personally make sure you sleep longer each night. Now, go to bed so that you will not be so tired in the morning! I'm sure you would not want to make a negative first impression, Kagome-chan!"

And, with a smile, a hug, and a kiss on the cheek, Kagome returned to her room to carry out her plan.

_Step one is to pack my things in _one_ bag. That's complete._

_Step two is to leave the note on my bed so that my parents don't worry. That's complete._

_Step three is to wait until two-thirty, so everyone's asleep. That's complete… or will be, in two minutes._

_Step four is to disable the alarm system and… well, walk out the front door. That's in progress._

Despite being the daughter of the Emperor of the Human Empire, Kagome lived in a normal-sized house on the edge of a shrine. Castles were considered outdated and ancient, and they _did_ have this annoying tendency to fall apart when modern technology was installed… Mansions were too large for the family of four and a few personal servants. While her house was considered large, it was not quite big enough to be a mansion.

It was Kagome's house, and that was what mattered.

She'd be leaving it for the last time, if her plan worked.

Hopping over the last creaky stair at the bottom, Kagome whispered one last goodbye to the home where she had grown up, and where her family and one of her closest friends remained. She would miss them dearly, but it would be a sacrifice she would make. Living an unhappy life with a man she did not love would make her miss the opportunity even more than she would miss her family.

Perhaps she could visit them one day?

Kagome knew this was impossible. Although, she _would_ be able to see them on TV… if the Youkai lands even _had_ television.

_They probably do,_ she mused. _After all, if they didn't have the technology we do, this war would have ended long ago. I wonder what methods they use in the war? Do they use complicated weapons, or simple things like my bow?_

The thought made her aware of the weapon hidden in the quiver that was strapped across her back. It would be unsafe, not to mention foolish, to enter the forest that marked the border between the two empires without some sort of weapon. Human bandits, weaker youkai, and even wild animals lived in the expanse of trees – none would hesitate to kill a young human woman that crossed their territory.

She had crossed the last few steps the alarm system and was about to press the number sequence when footsteps sounded in her ears.

Spinning around in shock, she saw one of the last people she would expect to see – Sango.

"Kagome-chan," Sango whispered, "what are you doing?"

"Sango-chan, I…" Kagome found herself unable to speak; she was so consumed with guilt over leaving one of her closest friends. A silence fell over the hallway until Sango spoke again.

"You're trying to run away, aren't you?" Kagome opened her mouth to respond, but Sango cut her off. "Why, Kagome-chan? I should have known when I caught you in your room earlier – your clothes were all over the place, and I could tell you were lying to me when you said you were 'rearranging your clothes'. Why are you running away? Aren't you happy here?" Her last words were choked out as tears flooded Sango's eyes.

"Sango-chan… I'm perfectly happy here. It's just that-"

"Then why are you leaving?" she exclaimed.

"I don't want to get married!" Kagome whispered. "I'm supposed to meet my future husband _tomorrow_ – I was planning to run away before, but not so soon… I won't be able to handle the guilt if I stay any longer!"

"But why would you run away in the first place?" Sango questioned in a soft tone.

"If I stay, I'll have to marry whether I want to, or not. Although… it's really not just that, Sango-chan. You've heard me complain, haven't you? I'm only recognized as the daughter of the Emperor. I don't _have_ a real identity, except among those who know me. After this marriage was arranged, waiting until I ascended the throne as Empress became impossible. Besides… I've always wanted to travel, and learn about youkai." The thought of being able to live her lifelong dream brought a smile to the younger girl's face.

"Kagome-chan, I understand." Sango sighed lightly, then suddenly threw her arms around the younger girl in a tight hug. "I'll miss you so much, though!"

"I'll miss you too, Sango-chan. I know that I'd miss this opportunity if I didn't take it… Do you think I'll be able to write to you?"

"I hope so," Sango whispered. "I won't tell your father, if you're worrying about that."

"Then I'll write," Kagome decided, "but I can't visit."

Sango nodded and released Kagome, holding her by the shoulders. "I'll miss you so much, Kagome-chan. I'll always remember you."

"Me too, Sango-chan. Thank you for being like a sister to me for all these years."

Sango's grey eyes had filled with tears by now. "Have a wonderful life, Kagome-chan."

"You too, Sango-chan."

Moments later, Kagome had slipped through the door to her new life. Sango remained in the hallway, watching the closed door as she cried, dark, wet streaks evident on her cheeks.

"I'll miss you so much, Kagome-chan… but I'm happy that you'll have a happy life."

And so, Kagome's journey began.

A/N: Took me a few months, but four and a half pages in a night is _still_ not bad.

Anyway, the story has _finally_ developed a plot line. To answer obvious questions, Inuyasha _will_ be in the next scene, Miroku and Sango _might_ end up together, and there will _not_ be any mentions of the Shikon no Tama or a fight against Naraku. I don't think this will be an action story at all, unlike my first belief. That's not to say there will be _no_ action; there just won't be some huge battle with Naraku at the end for the Shikon no Tama.

By the way, I _did_ mention in the prologue that Michiko had planned for Kagome to meet Izayoi's son (if you can't guess who… it'll be obvious quite soon), though Kagome herself didn't find out until this chapter. That's just to clear up any confusion. 

So… this was ten and a half pages. I thought it would be longer… but this was the perfect place to end it.

There probably won't be any updates for a while. Outside life calls.

Neko-sama


	3. Cause and Effect

The Middle Ground

Disclaimer: I'm not popular enough to have people _know of_ my stories, much less _read_ them. In that case, why would I own something so well-known as Inuyasha?

* * *

Chapter 2: Cause and Effect

When his daughter's alarm clock failed to wake him up at the appropriate time, Kamemaru _knew_ something was wrong.

"Kagome?" he questioned in a tired voice as he wandered down the hallway to his daughter's room. "Are you awake, Kagome? You've got school…"

He trailed off as his blue-grey eyes observed something surprising:

Kagome was _not_ in bed.

"Oh… Guess she actually woke up early, for once." Shrugging, the Emperor wandered downstairs to make breakfast before he would head off to work.

The pounding of footsteps on stairs caught his attention – Souta was evidently quite awake by now, and probably confused about the lack of noise himself. As the boy appeared at the door, Kamemaru nodded to his son. "Morning, Souta. Sleep well?"

"Sure, Dad," he responded. "Kagome's alarm didn't go off, though."

The Emperor shrugged. "No, it didn't. She must have woken up early for school, or something – she's not in bed, either. At least _we're_ awake on time."

"Uh, Dad?" Souta asked. "Look at the time."

Five minutes until eight. "Oh… shit. Can you wake your mother, please?"

As Souta ran off, a sudden damp feeling on his hand alerted Kamemaru to the fact that the milk he had been pouring over cereal had overflowed from the bowl and was now creating a puddle on the kitchen table.

Even better, half the milk hadn't even _reached_ the bowl.

The dark-haired man sighed. Today was _not_ his day.

Oh, he would have much worse by the end of the day. Right now, however, his priorities involved cleaning the sea of milk before Michiko caught him and threw a fit over his inability to work with anything remotely relating to food.

There was a reason Michiko owned a bakery and he was involved with politics, after all.

Unfortunately, this was not to be. A gasp sounded at the kitchen entrance – Souta had woken his mother quite well, and Kamemaru was caught in the act of cleaning the mess.

No, today was _definitely_ not his day.

* * *

One floor above, Sango was awakening from a light sleep, the events of the previous day making her unable to slip into anything heavier than a nap. Grey eyes blinked wearily, adjusting to the introduction of light and finally fixating on the window.

It was a beautiful day, and the taiji-ya could not enjoy it.

Reaching out with one slender hand, Sango grasped the small stuffed animal that lay on her bedside table. _Kirara_, she thought, stroking the yellowish fur on the toy's back. _After Kirara died, Kagome gave this to me… It's all I have to remember her by when she's gone and living in the Youkai Empire._

_How will she survive?_

Sango had been to the Youkai Empire, of course; she was a taiji-ya – a youkai exterminator – and had experienced the creatures' unmerciful behaviour firsthand. Kagome had never even _seen_ a youkai, much less gone near one. She didn't know how to fight them – how to live with them – how to protect herself – why had she gone _there_, of all places?

It worried Sango to no end. Something would _have_ to be done… but no solution made itself clear in her mind. She had promised not to tell Kagome's family; surely Kagome had left a note or something of the sort in order to prevent their worries. Leaving was not an option as she was desperately needed _here_ – besides the obvious fact that she was clueless as to Kagome's whereabouts. For all she knew, Kagome could have reached the Youkai Empire by now if she took one of the shorter routes, or if some kind stranger offered her a ride.

Kagome could even be lying dead in the forest, killed by a rogue youkai.

Well, dwelling on the negative possibilities would not help Sango think of a plan to help her friend. A glance at the clock told her that ten minutes had been spent in quiet contemplation – not only was she late for school, but she would probably be asked to explain why Kagome had been absent from her own classes.

Going to visit a school full of prissy nobles was not on Sango's list of favourite things, unfortunately, but it was a chore that must be done.

Perhaps Souta would explain the next day, and Sango would be allowed to avoid the dreaded visit…?

_Of course not_, Sango thought wearily. _You're the only one who knows what happened to Kagome! Besides, Souta isn't in junior high yet. He probably has his own duties – and one of mine is to help Kagome._

_Now, if only "helping Kagome" could allow me to interpret "not telling her father" as "not telling the school which would then tell her father and connect it back to me"…_

By the time Sango had finished dressing and other preparations, she had decided it could be interpreted as such. Her main problem, however, would be to _not_ say or do anything that would reveal her involvement in Kagome's plan – however small the involvement might have been.

For a born liar, this would have been easy. For Sango, who was well-raised and (usually) honest, this was a challenge.

In fact, this was so much of a challenge that by the end of the day, she would be regretting her decision to remain quiet about Kagome's escape.

_This really won't be my day_, Sango thought with an inward sigh.

* * *

In a high school not far from Izayoi-sama's mansion, a young monk named Yamada Miroku had a mission: watching Nekoi Sango.

This was no new goal for him, actually; ever since Sango had begun to attend Kazeki Koukou, he had had his eye on her. Despite his reputation with the female students of the school, and his own strong attraction towards nearly any attractive young lady, Sango had captured his attention and made him change his ways. In fact, since the new year had started a few months ago, Miroku had not groped, propositioned, _or_ accepted invitations from any girl.

Unfortunately, all his attempts were in vain – Sango had paid him _no_ attention since he first approached her in April. He had been planning to ask her out – to a movie, perhaps? – but even after that month of working up his courage, she refused him.

Come to think of it, he never got the chance to ask her anything at all. He'd merely greeted her, and she had given him a strange look, asked him how he knew her name, and turned away with a strange expression on her face.

The only slightly cheerful thing about the entire situation was when he overheard Sango's friends berating her for speaking to an upperclassman that way. The hope that had arisen when they asked her to consider apologizing had disappeared when Sango flatly refused.

"Even if he _is_ an upperclassman," she explained, "I don't think he deserves an apology for something like that."

Two months later, Miroku had resorted to quietly watching her, hoping that one day she would _finally_ see him and possibly return his smile. It hadn't happened so far, and being in a different grade, it probably wouldn't happen in the near future – but a lovesick man can hope, can't he?

It was while he was watching Sango from one corner of the hallway when the news came to him.

"Yamada-sempai, we've got a problem!"

Miroku turned around to find Takeda Nobunaga, another of Izayoi-sama's servants, behind him. Fear and worry were evident in his dark eyes as the boy placed a trembling hand on the monk's shoulder.

"Apparently, Izayoi-sama's son is missing!"

Miroku stared at the younger boy in surprise. "Missing, you say? How?"

"I heard he left a note – ran away, or something. No one knows why!"

The monk relaxed at those words. Ever since Izayoi-sama had arranged a marriage for her son with the Emperor's daughter, Miroku had listened to Inuyasha's complaints _every single day_. The noblewoman refused to allow anyone other than Miroku and herself to see her son, and Inuyasha could hardly complain to his own mother, so Miroku had had to endure the ranting of his young master.

_Well, now that he's finally taken his own advice and left… I'm free of being an advisor!_

"Ah, Yamada-sempai, aren't you at all concerned?"

Miroku blinked. "Concerned, you say?" he asked nervously. Clearing his throat, he continued, "Well, yes, I am quite concerned. The boy has never left the castle in his life; it will be rather dangerous for him outside the boundaries of his mother's lands."

To be honest, Miroku _was_ concerned, but entirely for the reasons he had told Nobunaga. Inuyasha had never seen the world outside his own home, or encountered anyone besides his mother or the monk himself. Unless he planned to live in the forest as a hermit his entire life, he would need to develop social skills – and _soon_.

_Then again,_ Miroku thought, _those might just be personality traits that direct his behaviour…_

Of course, if he _did_ decide to live in the barrier forest, Miroku wouldn't be concerned about Inuyasha's survival. He may not have been a youkai, of which there were many, but he wasn't a weak human, either.

Actually, Inuyasha _wasn't_ quite human, but it only served to reassure Miroku that his friend would have little trouble surviving among human bandits and weak youkai who were outcasts from the villages of the Youkai Empire.

"Yamada-sempai, are you all right? You seem to be… daydreaming."

The glaze in Miroku's purple eyes disappeared as he noticed Nobunaga's hand waving in front of his face. "Ah, Takeda-kouhai, I was merely… thinking on our young master's fate. He is not yet fifteen, after all."

"I'm worried," Nobunaga whined.

"Yes, you should very well be. Now, don't we have a class to attend?"

Nodding furiously, Nobunaga dashed off, calling "Farewell, Yamada-sempai! We shouldn't forget our work after school!" and Miroku turned back to the lovely Sango…

…only to find her engaged in conversation with one of the Higurashi personal servants: Souta's maid, Mikage Koharu.

"…and Koharu-chan, you must not tell anyone about this until tomorrow!"

"I won't!" the smaller girl squeaked, dark eyes wide in surprise.

Miroku frowned. _What is she hiding…?_

"…word gets out that Kagome-hime is missing, we'll be…"

_Missing?_ Miroku nearly gasped out loud. _I must tell Izayoi-sama! Even if Inuyasha returns, what if Kagome-hime…_

"…she ran away, then, Sango-chan? But why…"

"…engagement, isn't it obvious? She's been protesting since…"

"…told you not to tell? When did she…"

"…during the night. I was getting a glass of water…"

"…and no one must know because…"

"Exactly, Koharu-chan! Now, if anyone knows…"

"I know, I know Sango-chan! I've got classes now – I'll see you after school, right?"

Sango nodded and Koharu dashed off to her next class. He was just about to follow Sango to her next location when she spun around, grey eyes boring into the wall blocking Miroku from her view. He flattened himself to the wall, barely glancing around.

_If Sango catches me… I'm dead!_

"I know you're there Yamada-sempai." Her voice was cold and emotionless, and Miroku shivered at her tone.

"Eh… yes, Nekoi-kouhai." He peered around the wall. "Did you want something with me?" Sango missed the hint of hope in his voice that came from actually capturing her attention, and her tone became even harsher.

"You've been stalking me for the past two months. Don't think I haven't noticed."

_Oh, shit…_ "Why, Nekoi-kouhai, you must be mistaken! I have been doing no such thing!" he protested.

"Of course you haven't," she said with false sweetness. "In that case, would you care to explain why you have been following me nearly every single day?"

"Ah… I simply happen to be going to the same places as you! Wouldn't you agree that is a normal reason?"

"I don't believe you," she muttered. "That has to be the worst excuse I have heard from _anyone_."

"Really?" he said weakly.

"And…" She paused, a look of shock forming on her face. "Is that…"

"Eh, Sango-sama, are you all right?"

She screamed.

Two minutes later, Miroku was on the ground, twitching in pain, with a bright red handprint on his cheek. He watched Sango stomp off in fury, a sad look on his face.

"Sango-sama, I swear, my hand is cursed! It's a family thing-"

"Of course, Houshi-sama… and I've betrayed my best friend! Don't talk to me again – in fact, don't come _near_ me again!"

Miroku sighed. Not only had his best friend run away, but so had the Emperor's daughter – and Sango demanding he stay away from her was the cherry on top.

_Kami-sama… this is not my day,_ he groaned in pain.

* * *

At that same moment, in a seemingly random tree in the border forest, was a very miserable inu hanyou.

_Damn it, why couldn't I have remembered to bring food?_

As if on cue, his stomach growled. It was silenced with a punch.

_It's not bad enough that I have to get married in two months, but I forget to bring food when running away! Fate is working against me today, I'm sure of it._

Amber eyes scanned the forest floor in the vain hope that food might be lying around somewhere. He was acting like a starving man, and he knew it. He felt as if he hadn't eaten in days.

In reality, it had been about fifteen hours, and he had been sleeping for most of that time, but Inuyasha was a teenager. He was _growing_. Fourteen-year-old boys needed to eat, and he certainly wasn't doing anything of the sort.

His attention was captured by a red mushroom with white spots. He nearly considered eating it, partially out of hunger, and partially to spite his mother, his fiancée's mother, and the girl himself.

_I hope she dies,_ he thought, glaring at the nearest tree.

It was quite clear that Inuyasha did _not_ want to be married at the age of fifteen, and especially not to some noble whom he had never met before. From what he had heard of noblewomen, they were lazy, complaining, ugly old ladies who cared only about money and shopping (and, for the unmarried ones, men). He himself had never met any, but his mother often came home with stories to tell.

Despite her warnings that _this_ particular friend and her daughter were different, Inuyasha paid no attention. Having met no one who did not fit the description, it was easy for him to maintain such a bias towards the class of women.

Besides, the girl he was supposed to marry was _older_ than he was – by two whole months! Even Miroku admitted that was a rather large blow to the male ego. The houshi's own interest was two years younger than he was.

That kind of a gap between the respectable genders was all right, but for him, two months difference was like two years. It was **wrong**.

His stomach growled again and Inuyasha decided that ignoring the gnawing hunger was pointless, not to mention a losing battle. If he did try to continue thinking of anything else, he would eventually become so hungry that he would have to resort to wild animals for food.

If that became impossible, there were always humans and low-level demons around the forest…

The _thought_ of eating either made Inuyasha feel quite sick, actually. He had been raised among humans, and he was definitely not a cannibal, so that was out of the question. As for demons… well, _looking_ at them and not dying of disgust was barely possible, and eating them was out of the question.

Besides, those demons had probably eaten moronic humans at one point. Eating something that had eaten humans was (almost) as wrong as eating them himself.

So, attempting to suppress the nausea he felt at the thoughts, Inuyasha wandered off to look for food.

Twenty minutes passed, and the closest things to food that Inuyasha could find were some brightly-coloured berries (obviously poisonous, of course) and a young rabbit (which he couldn't bring himself to kill – his excuse was that it had no meat, and would hardly be a meal, but he couldn't even convince himself with that excuse). He collapsed against a tree, feeling weak from hunger, until a certain smell drifted past his nose.

_Is that… is that ramen?_

He straightened up, sniffing the air. It was definitely ramen, and it was also definitely nearby. Was this a trap? This was his favourite food, at such a perfect time, and nearby…

There had to be _some_ catch to it!

Indeed, there was, but Inuyasha was too hungry (and a bit too dense) to notice. A few moments later, he was peeking out from behind a tree into a clearing where a fire burned. The bowl containing the ramen was perched precariously over the fire, swaying back and forth on a stick above the flames, and there was a girl – _a pretty _girl, he noted with a blush - about his age stirring it.

This had to be the perfect opportunity. He stepped forward-

and a twig snapped beneath his foot.

The girl looked up and gasped. Within seconds, a bow was in her hands and an arrow pointed straight at him. Blue eyes glared daggers into him.

"You shall not hurt me, youkai."

Inuyasha blinked. _Youkai? _In confusion, he glanced back over his shoulder, wondering if some creature had snuck up on him while he was staring hungrily at the ramen (and the girl – he _was_ a fourteen-year-old boy, after all) but the space was clear from any living things.

"There's no youkai there," he stated.

Her grip on the bow tightened. "I was talking about _you_."

* * *

The last thing Kagome would have expected was for him to burst into laughter, but that was his exact response.

"I'm… no youkai," he gasped in between bouts of laughing, "but how… could you think… that?"

"You _are_," she muttered. "You're not human, that's for sure."

Any traces of smiling on Inuyasha's face disappeared.

"Of course I'm human," he said, bemused. "What else would I be?"

"You'd be a youkai, of course," Kagome explained.

"Oh. I'm not a youkai, though."

"How do I know?" she shouted. "You look like a youkai, you're sneaking up on me, and you're hungry! All the evidence shows that you plan to eat me, youkai!"

He growled at her, which made her shrink back in fear (the action confused him – wasn't it a normal human thing?). "I wanted the ramen! I haven't eaten since last night and I'm hungry!"

"It doesn't explain why you look like a youkai!"

"I do?" he asked, confusion evident in his amber eyes.

"Well – not like the lower level ones, but many of the more powerful youkai have human forms," Kagome said. "There are obvious differences, of course, but they look human enough to be mistaken on occasion for one."

"So they can be mistaken for a really ugly human?"

"You're very sheltered, aren't you," Kagome sighed. "Honestly, everyone knows about the dangers of youkai. They roam the border forest! Most humans have seen them at one time or another."

"For your information, I _have_ been sheltered." He pouted, sending a glare at the Hime.

Kagome sighed. _I thought he was a dangerous youkai, but he's just a kid…!_

"_Look_, the point is that you look like a youkai, not a human."

Inuyasha shrugged. "I _am_ human… and what's so different about me, anyway? Humans don't look that much alike anyway."

She stared at him in disbelief. "Your ears," she said flatly, "are dog ears. They are not human ears."

"They're not?" Said ears twitched in puzzlement.

"No! Also, your hair is white, your eyes are amber, and you've got fangs! Humans don't have any of those features! Haven't you ever _seen_ one?" she cried.

"Of course I've seen a human!"

"A normal one?" she asked, raising her eyebrow. Judging by this boy's appearance and attitude, any 'humans' he might have met were probably not human at all.

"My mother," he muttered, "is human. She kind of looks like you, actually, except she's older and has purple eyes."

Kagome couldn't believe her ears. "But if your mother is human… and you're some kind of demon… no, but hanyou don't exist," she muttered. "They just don't."

"What's a hanyou?"

_Not more questions from sheltered little demon boy… _Kagome was nearly ready to scream in frustration from having to deal with his barrage of questions and never ending curiosity. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she continued her explanation.

"Hanyou is a term for half-youkai, half-human. Since the war started so many years ago, they haven't existed. If one ever was born, they would probably be shunned from society… of course, I don't expect you to know about society, but for a normal person, to become an outcast is _bad_."

Those adorable ears twitched again. "How would I know if I _am_ a… what's it called again?"

"A hanyou? If your mother was human, your father would have to be a youkai."

"Oh… I never knew my father," he explained, a hint of sadness evident in his voice. "My mother never talks about him."

Kagome sighed. "I suppose you really are a hanyou, then. I didn't know it was possible, but it must be true."

Inuyasha shrugged and sat down against the tree. The ramen smell had drifted past his nose again, reminding him of just how hungry he was. He sighed.

"I'm hungry," he whined.

"It's my food, and I'm not sharing it with a stranger, hanyou!"

"What's wrong with sharing?" he asked.

"I don't know you!" she exclaimed. "I don't know your name, I don't know why you're here, and I don't know a thing about you!"

"And the problem is…"

"I don't feel comfortable sharing my food with someone who is unfamiliar to be," Kagome stated.

"I'm Inuyasha. Can I have some food… please?"

Kagome sighed. "You're just too cute, you know that? Those ears…"

Inuyasha scowled.

"All right, all right, Inuyasha, you'll get your food."

As she divided the ramen in two equal portions in smaller bowls from her bright yellow backpack, she said,

"I'm Kagome, by the way."

He smiled.

* * *

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and as this was a Very Bad Day for many other people, it was bound to become a Very Bad Day for Inuyasha and Kagome. A few hours had passed since the ramen was finished, and silence seemed to be the preferred noise level between the two.

Kagome had become more relaxed now that a hanyou was traveling with her; Inuyasha was doing the same, but his natural personality was beginning to show.

Sadly, he was not the nicest of people, as was observed by Miroku not long before, and this was obvious in his conversation.

It began with one word:

"Bitch."

"And how do you know that word, Inuyasha?" Kagome turned to glare at him.

"I heard it off one of the servants a while back."

"So you're rich, then?" Kagome couldn't keep the curiosity out of her voice. How could a hanyou be from a wealthy family, and why was he out in the woods if he was telling the truth.

"I don't know, bitch, what can I compare my life to?"

"Would you stop calling me that?" Kagome exclaimed.

"Why?" He blinked, seemingly innocent.

"Do you even know what it means?"

"Of course I do, bitch." He grinned, fangs gleaming in the mid-morning sunlight. "It means-"

"On second thought, I don't need an explanation," Kagome said with a heavy sigh. "Can you please stop calling me by such a derogatory term?"

"Hmm." He pretended to think, one finger tapping his chin. "No."

Her glare became sharper and he nearly flinched out of fear. "Why?" Her tone was extremely cold.

"Because… I don't want to?"

"And why don't you want to?" Was it just him, or was it suddenly colder outside?

"Because… I don't like you?"

"Wonderful." Kagome turned away and continued walking. "I give you ramen, I give you a lesson on youkai, and yet you hate me."

"I don't hate you. I just don't like you," he said, shrugging.

"Is there even a difference?"

Inuyasha chose to ignore her. He picked up the pace, walking straight past Kagome without a glance to even acknowledge her. The Hime sighed: how did she ever have the misfortune to meet such a rude and inconsiderate hanyou, and why did she ever choose to travel with him?

In all honesty, it was an unconscious decision to stay together, but Kagome knew that she did have a choice, and she chose to make her way through the forest with _him_.

She had begun to regret this decision, and wondered if it would be in the best interest for her mental health (and food supply) to separate as soon as possible. Inuyasha would only protest because of the lack of food; he obviously disliked her company, and she didn't particularly enjoy his.

Yes, Kagome decided, it would be in both of their mutual interests _not_ to travel together.

Fate had other plans for her, however. As she opened her mouth to tell Inuyasha about the new travel situation, she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. Wincing, she turned around to notice a rather large crow demon perched on her back.

Actually, perched was not the right word – digging its claws into her back while screeching and snapping at her head would have been a better description.

Her bow useless, Kagome did the only thing she could – she screamed.

"Would you _not_ scream so loud, bitch? It hurts-"

Inuyasha's exclamation was cut off as he spun around, noticing the demon and Kagome's wounds for the first time. Blood was seeping down her white yukata in a slow trickle, emerging from under the crow's stained claws.

"Inuyasha! Help me!"

"W-what can I do?" he called back, obviously in shock. The crow chose that moment to grab a thick strand of hair, nearly ripping it out. Kagome burst into tears from the pain.

"I- I can't shoot it! You've got to help me!"

"I've never fought in my life! What can I do?" He was growing even more panicked as Kagome's sobs grew louder.

"It- it hurts…"

"What can I do, Kagome!"

"Just kill it!"

Inuyasha nodded and dashed over to the crow. "Should I punch it?"

"_I don't care what you do! Kill it!_"

A snap echoed throughout the forest.

* * *

"Did you _have_ to use my yukata for a bandage, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou glared at the girl. "_Yes_. I'm not going to use any of my clothes on something like you."

"You didn't bring any other ones, did you," Kagome muttered, glancing at Inuyasha's red haori and hakama. She was rewarded with a slight blush on Inuyasha's cheeks.

_So he didn't_, Kagome thought. _Of course, a boy would never think of that…_

"Besides, it was stained with blood. It's not like you could wear it after this."

Kagome sighed – he did have a point, and it _was_ an old and plain yukata that could easily be replaced. She had only worn it because traveling in the forest would likely ruin most of her other clothes.

Speaking of other clothes, she was now wearing the only other outfit in her large backpack that she could care less about – her school uniform. It was still a mystery to her why it was in her bag at all, but at this moment, she was simply grateful that another plain piece of clothing was available.

"Honestly, though – couldn't you have killed it in a… different way?"

"Would you _like_ to have crow guts all over you?"

He had a point – if Inuyasha had used those sharp claws she had noticed on the ends of his long fingers, that crow would have been in pieces, and those pieces would now be on her.

"Still… Wasn't there another, _nicer_ way?"

"Snapping its neck is clean, isn't it?"

Kagome shuddered. Having a dead crow clinging onto you was a pretty traumatizing experience – possibly even more so than when the crow demon was alive. It had taken five minutes for Inuyasha to pry the claws away from her shoulders; she had to endure five minutes of having a dead crow _touching_ her! She shuddered in disgust.

"Oi, what are you doing?"

Inuyasha's criticizing tone snapped her out of the memory. As relieved as she was to be thinking of something else, it was hardly more pleasant to have to hear _his_ annoying voice at this moment in time.

Really, he wasn't a bad person… just a very annoying one.

"I'm not doing anything. Now, if you'll excuse me," she said, standing up and retrieving her yellow backpack, "I plan to continue my journey to the Youkai Empire – with or without you. Come if you like."

Hadn't it been a few minutes ago that she had decided she _definitely_ wasn't going with him? Of course, after he had saved her from the crow demon, she was quite apprehensive about continuing through the forest alone.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Keh. Fine, I'll come along since _you_ obviously can't protect yourself – but only if you cook ramen for me, too."

Kagome sighed. At least she had packed enough food for days…

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Inuyasha said, turning towards the trees. "Let's go!"

And with that, he began to walk to the Youkai Empire and his freedom.

"Ah, Inuyasha?"

"What is it, bitch?"

_So we're back to bitch, are we?_ "The Youkai Empire is in the _opposite_ direction."

"…I knew that."

Thus the journey of Inuyasha and Kagome began. The last thought on their minds as they left was,

_This is really not my day… and I'm sure I won't enjoy the rest of the trip with someone like **them**._

No, it really was not their day, but as to the fate of their enjoyment? That had yet to be decided.

* * *

Two days were spent writing nine pages. I feel _very_ exhausted.

A few things to clarify: First of all, Inuyasha is speaking with decent grammar because _he was raised that way_. I assume that as a noble, his mother would have a fairly good education, and since she taught him (which should be obvious, since before Kagome, he had met two people: Miroku, who is still in school, and his mother), his education would probably be shown in his speech. His personality will become a bit more evident as he interacts with Kagome.

Second, I'm sure the story of arranged marriage-runaway is old and overused. The point of this story is _not_ to write about that. The point of this story is to make a parody on those stories by focusing on Inuyasha's humanity. In the canon storyline, he was raised by his (human) mother. It surprises me to see all these fictions focused on his demon blood and rituals, since he lived his childhood among humans and then lived _alone_. So, where did he learn all about his youkai heritage? Uh… Anyway, these prince-princess-arranged marriage stories usually have Inuyasha as a demon prince, Kagome as a human princess, and the "I don't want to marry someone like him!" situation. While I'm sure these stereotypes _will_ pop up at one point in the story (read the prologue and scan for familiar names), the point of the story is to focus on Inuyasha being raised by humans, not the overused storyline.

Third, I am quite aware I use the terms "youkai" and "demon" interchangeably and they actually mean different things. I assure you, there is a reason. "Demon" is mostly used to refer to weaker youkai, since they are often ugly and the perfect stereotype of "demon" (oni excepted). "Youkai" is used to refer to stronger youkai, human-shaped youkai, and in speech.

Fourth, I understand that a few things might be a bit confusing. For example, Sango knows that Kagome has never seen a youkai. She hasn't. All of her knowledge comes from her father, Sango herself, or the media (which also supplies Inuyasha with his own knowledge about youkai, though he obviously only knows about oni and weak youkai). As for the fighting part, snapping a bird's neck does _not_ require knowledge of fighting – at least, not the way Inuyasha did it.

Fifth, have a nice day.


	4. Getting To Know You

The Middle Ground

Disclaimer: Whatever I wrote here two years ago, it makes NO SENSE. Something about not being cute and all that.

So who actually expected to get an update on this after over two years? I had this almost all written out and everything… Of course, I managed to change the last scene entirely from what I had planned it to be, but who cares? Two years!

* * *

Chapter 3: Getting To Know You

"Hey, bitch?"

"_Yes_, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou shivered slightly at Kagome's tone – it was a bit too sweet to be sincere. "How do you know so much about youkai, anyway?"

Kagome sighed; she was not in the mood for more questions right now. "How do you _not_, hanyou?" she retorted.

Inuyasha scowled at her and chose to ignore the question, which seemed to be normal behaviour for him. Seemingly unaware of the sarcasm evident in her voice, he continued on. "I mean, how do you know that hanyou don't exist – or aren't supposed to – and how would you what youkai look like? Have you ever seen one?"

"You mean, besides the really ugly oni that are shown in the media to terrify the normal citizen of the Human Empire? No, I haven't."

"Oh. So not all youkai look like that?"

"_No_. Don't you listen to a thing I say?"

"I do! I just don't get- never mind," he finished quickly.

_So he's not just inexperienced in the world, he's stupid too?!_ Kagome nearly cried in exasperation. "Not only do I have to travel with a dense boy who doesn't bring food and can't fight _at all_, but he is incapable of understanding a simple answer without further clarification? Perhaps I should have stayed home after all…"

"Oi! I'm not dense!"

"Of course not," Kagome muttered, "but I'm sure you didn't understand the rest of what I said, seeing as your vocabulary is limited to _small_ words…"

They were facing each other by now. Inuyasha's facial expressions seemed to be limited to indifference, anger, pouting, and scowling (which was his current expression) and Kagome wore a mask of calmness, though she was nearly shaking with frustration. Inuyasha's fangs were bared, though Kagome showed no fear towards them – or his claws, which happened to be balled up into tight fists at the moment, hands shaking at his sides.

"Bitch! I'm not stupid, you know!"

"Of course," Kagome said condescendingly.

The scowl was now accompanied by a glare. "I didn't bring food because I expected to have to _hunt_ for it. I don't know about killing youkai because I have encountered _two_ people before you, and both were human! I only asked for further clarification because I might have misinterpreted something in your long explanation! And I _do _understand long words when they are used correctly!"

It would have been a rather impressive speech if his voice hadn't cracked in the middle.

Noting that the… _incident_… had not happened as a result of strong emotion, as was possible, Kagome was in fits of laughter by the end. This, of course, only served to make Inuyasha even more frustrated.

_She probably wasn't even listening to me! That… that… bitch!_

It was quite obvious that Inuyasha only knew one insult, and did not realize how pathetic he sounded after reusing this insult in every other sentence. The lack of social experience was proving to be quite an inhibition.

"I'm surprised you know such large words, Inuyasha, considering your vocabulary seems to have only one insult," Kagome responded.

Inuyasha looked confused for a moment. _Can she read minds?_

"_No_, Inuyasha. You just have a habit of speaking out loud without realizing it."

The hanyou blinked, then realized she was indeed correct. He had lived with such limited social contact that he found himself unable to differentiate between thinking and speaking aloud.

That would have to be fixed, of course. He didn't want Kagome to know what he was thinking, especially when they were about that bitch-

"Talking- wait, thinking about me again?" Kagome laughed at the expression on his face.

"I'm sure I didn't say that out loud!" he protested.

"If I could read minds, Inuyasha, I wouldn't be here right now. Just learn to keep your thoughts to yourself, learn a new insulting term, and this journey will be less….frustrating."

"How far is it, anyway?" Inuyasha asked. It felt like days since he had left his home and met Kagome; it couldn't be far to the Youkai Empire!

"I don't know," she admitted. "I've never traveled through the forest before, and… as far as I know, there isn't a map we could use, if we had one."

Inuyasha glared at her. "Then how are we supposed to know if we're going the right way? For all you know, we could be walking in circles!"

"If we were doing that, we'd recognize the scenery," Kagome muttered.

"At this rate, we won't get there until next year!"

"The forest isn't _that_ large."

Inuyasha wisely decided to remain quiet for the next few hours.

* * *

Sango's day began rather unpleasantly when she was informed, in the middle of the night, that her closest friend was running away. In the past, Kagome had often complained to the taiji-ya that she was tired of being the Emperor's daughter, that she wanted freedom, that she wanted to know what was going on in the battles. She had actually succeeded in her carefully laid plans once or twice. Despite Sango's childish worry (they _were_ still children at the time), Kagome had returned after a few minutes.

Evidently, the girl was not used to living outside her comfortable home.

This time, however, the situation was different. Sango had seen the desperation and longing in her friend's eyes – Kagome was determined to escape this time, and she was going to succeed, too. Life would be drastically changed for both of them, and for Kagome's family as well.

At least Sango had managed to snatch a few hours of sleep afterwards. Otherwise, she would never have been prepared to face _him_.

During her first day at Kazeki Koukou, Sango had been treated to the "talk": a quick overview of the school buildings and some of the more notorious students, including warnings of who to avoid. The position at the top of the list of these troublesome people had been taken by a man named Yamada Miroku, known for his flirtatious and charming ways. The danger lay in his opening lines; this was where his charm came into play. It was well-known around the school that girls fell at his feet when he approached them.

Sango was determined not to walk into his trap.

The first few weeks at school, however, brought new gossip about the upperclassman. Apparently, he had not propositioned _any_ girl since the beginning of the year! It had come as a shock to Sango, who had been expecting the man to take an immediate interest in a few of her good-looking friends.

It came as quite a surprise when, a month later, he had approached Sango herself and greeted her by name. The taiji-ya was shocked. How could he deem her attractive enough to date, when her prettier friends had been bemoaning the fact that none of them had even captured the attention of Yamada-sempai? She would admit he was rather good-looking, but Sango knew she could never speak to the man, not with his reputation, at least. The fact that her friends held an unhealthy interest in him did _not_ help.

Wait, he knew her name? Had he been _stalking_ her?

The simple thought was enough to make Sango reconsider any thought of being polite to him. While her friends could not believe the disrespectful way she had spoken to an upperclassman, especially _him_, the taiji-ya felt no guilt.

She still didn't – in fact, every time she saw Yamada-sempai, Sango became annoyed and irritated at him, remembering that first incident.

Seeing him that afternoon only proved that this was fated to be one of the worst days in her life.

As if it wasn't bad enough that she had caught him listening to her _private_ conversation with Koharu-chan (stalking again, of course), he had _groped_ her.

Sango had heard that he did such a thing on occasion, though at a time when it would be deemed 'acceptable' – on a date, for example. She herself thought _no_ time was acceptable for such an action, but other girls evidently thought differently. By staying a fair distance away from Yamada-sempai, she had thought, avoiding his wandering hands would be easy.

Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. At least she had some satisfaction from hitting him so hard he ended up on the ground.

_Family curse, yeah right_, Sango thought, glaring at a few passing students. _I'm sure he is just another of those perverted men who thinks all women fall at their feet!_

As she was putting her running shoes away, a hand touched her shoulder.

With a gasp, Sango whirled around to see the exact person who she had just been thinking about – Yamada Miroku.

"Now, Nekoi-chan, I understand I may have deserved that-"

"You did, Yamada-senpai," Sango responded icily.

"-but that is not the reason I came to speak with you."

The taiji-ya's expression changed to one of fake surprise. "Of course; I'm sure you would never apologize for something like that. After all, you would not regret it."

"I would, Sango-sama," he said calmly, "since it made you angry."

Sango found herself blushing. _So that is what they mean by his charm_, she thought._ It cannot be real, though._

"I wonder how many other girls you have said that to," she retorted.

"Ah, none, Sango-sama; you are indeed special. Now, I came to discuss with you the matter which you were speaking of this morning – with Mikage-chan, I believe."

Sango gaped at him. "You _were_ eavesdropping!"

"I merely overheard," he corrected her. "Now, as you may know, I work as a monk for the fair Izayoi-sama."

"I did not," Sango responded, "since I do not stalk you in return and learn every single fact – you're a monk?" Her mouth dropped. "_You?_"

Miroku shook his head with a sigh. _She doesn't believe me…_ "While my… behaviour may seem unusual for my profession, I am indeed a monk."

"I'm sure."

"I am!" he protested. "Now, am I correct in understanding that your close friend, Kagome-hime, has run away?"

"She has," Sango said softly with a trace of sadness. "I would prefer if you did not inform your mistress of this turn of events, however. You see, she does not wish to marry… so soon."

"Indeed," Miroku agreed. "You have nothing to fear, Sango-sama. Inuyasha-sama – Izayoi-sama's son – is also opposed to the union."

"An odd name," Sango mused.

"He is an unusual boy himself," Miroku explained.

"I see. You mean to say that he would not demand a search for his fiancée, if he was told of this?"

"Actually…" Miroku fidgeted nervously. "He would not have the opportunity himself – he, too, has disappeared."

There was a moment of silence before Sango cried out in surprise,

"So they're _**both**_ gone?!"

"I believe that is the case, yes," Miroku replied.

"But… but how will they survive?" Sango exclaimed in worry. "They're too young to be living out there – with no experience of life outside the comforts of home – they're only fifteen, Miroku-senpai!"

"Inuyasha is still fourteen, Sango-sama," Miroku said, smiling at her use of his proper name, "and I do understand what worry you might hold."

"Fourteen! Even I, who had been warned of the dangers of the world by that time, could barely survive in the woods!" The taiji-ya visibly shook with apprehension. "I nearly lost a battle with a fierce bandit!"

"Sango-sama, if I may… You are trained to fight youkai, correct?"

"Yes, which might have been why…" Sango trailed off, grey eyes widening in shock. "You _knew_ I was a taiji-ya? I have never revealed my past to anyone, except for the Emperor and his family!"

Miroku winced. Sango was already angry at him for eavesdropping on her earlier conversation; it would have been wise to keep the extent of his knowledge on the woman to himself. He opened his mouth to reply in his usual, polite and pacifying manner, but Sango cut him off by continuing.

"Never mind, Yamada-senpai; I am aware of your…fascination… with me, and I should have known you are aware of more things about me than even I do." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He looked shocked – had he never expected her to notice his peculiar behaviour towards her?

Actually, Miroku was worried about her comment on his 'fascination'. Was she aware of the strong feelings he had towards her – as strong as possible considering he had never spoken to her before the current day? She wouldn't… _blackmail_ him, would she?

"S-Sango-sama…" he managed to stutter. "I would appreciate it if you never spoke of this… realization… to anyone else."

She frowned at him. "Why, Yamada-senpai?" A smirk spread across her face. "It would ruin your reputation, wouldn't it?" _And prevent you from breaking the hearts of innocent girls when you are unable to keep your promise_, she silently added.

He sighed. "I _beg_ you, Sango-sama: please do not speak of this to _anyone_!"

"All right," Sango conceded. "A wound to the pride is one of the most painful, and hardest to heal – second only to the heart. Still, I will agree to keep your secret on one condition."

Miroku was unable to keep the relief from his face. "Thank you, Sango-sama! I will do _anything_ for you… within reasonable limits," he added, seeing the malicious grin beginning to form on her lips.

"In that case," Sango said calmly, "You will aid me in covering for Kagome-hime at her school."

The monk nodded furiously; he had been expecting a far worse punishment. "Sango-sama, I would gladly do such a thing for you."

"…and you will also explain to her father," Sango finished, smiling at the now-horrified expression on the upperclassman's face.

"B-but… the Emperor…" At Sango's nod, he sighed in desperation. "If I must, Sango-sama, but still… The Emperor!"

"You said you would do anything, Yamada-senpai," she reminded him. "It is a necessary duty that I cannot perform since I am bound by a promise I made to Kagome-hime."

"In that case," Miroku conceded, "I believe I have no choice."

He had never expected Sango would react in this way if she ever learned of his infatuation – but then again, he had never been in such a situation before.

Meanwhile, Sango was overjoyed at Miroku's defeat. She could keep her promise to Kagome while ensuring the safety of her friend as much as possible. Her day was already looking up.

* * *

"And that's the… what, tenth time we've passed that tree so far? So, Kagome, willing to admit we're walking in circles yet?"

Kagome shot a glare over her shoulder to the sarcastic hanyou, who happened to be smirking at her. If she hadn't been such a nice person, the boy would have been dead long ago. It was still a mystery to her as to why she continued traveling with Inuyasha; while she might have been severely injured if he hadn't been around to kill the crow demon, he had as much battle experience as she did – possibly less, since she had brought her bow – and absolutely no supplies.

So, was _he_ following _her_, then? He hadn't brought any food with him…

"Bitch! When are we going to leave this damn forest?"

The older teenager decided to suppress her frustration and ask the question that had formed in her head before the last insult.

"Inuyasha, why are you following me?" Kagome asked sweetly.

The pale-haired boy blinked in shock. Where had that come from?

Noticing the silence, Kagome immediately came to the conclusion that he had no answer to her question. Remembering the amount of intelligence he had shown since they met, she decided this was perfectly normal for the boy and shrugged.

"I don't blame you if you don't know," Kagome said condescendingly as she turned back to the path, "but I would have hoped you were smarter than that."

Inuyasha's eyes had snapped to her face by the end of that sentence. "Hm?"

Kagome's mouth dropped once she realized why he hadn't been listening. "You… you… _male!_" With that, she stormed away from him, leaving Inuyasha to his own surprised thoughts.

_Miroku said this was normal for guys of my age… but…_ He paused to shudder. _For lack of a better word… EW! Girls are NASTY!_

Shaking his head to relieve himself of very un-Inuyasha like and _very_ mature thoughts (which, at the age of fourteen, he was not), he ran to catch up with Kagome.

Meanwhile, Kagome had calmed down from her little outburst. She had little experience with boys in her school – her group of friends being entirely female – but, thanks to certain… education…, Inuyasha's behaviour was actually perfectly normal for a boy of his age.

The hime only wished he would focus his hormones on someone besides herself; she preferred to acknowledge those thoughts when they came from her _boyfriend_ – not some adolescent boy _who was younger than she was!_

Of course, her husband-to-be was hardly older than this hanyou who was following her through the forest. Still, her fiancé was only two months younger than she was. This boy couldn't be older than thirteen! The person she was to marry was nearly fifteen – would be this summer.

Kagome desperately hoped her future held more mature people than her present.

But wait – wasn't she running away from this situation? What good would thinking of the possible marriage do her, now that it was never going to happen?

Perhaps the hime hadn't fully grasped the change to her life that running away had brought.

Fate, however, had other plans for her and Inuyasha, who was definitely older than he looked.

* * *

Not long after the "incident", as dubbed by Kagome, the two came across a large river running through the forest. Being inexperienced about traveling through spirit-infested forests, neither teenager had expected such a thing.

"There's a river," Inuyasha stated.

"Yes," Kagome agreed. "So how are we going to cross it?"

Inuyasha blinked. "There isn't a bridge?"

A long silence occurred before Kagome spoke.

"Do you see a bridge?" she asked dryly.

"There's probably one upriver," Inuyasha answered. "There's always a bridge in books or movies."

The hime sighed. "This _isn't_ a book, Inuyasha! This is _reality_! If there ever was a bridge, it was probably destroyed by ugly oni who had no brains and nothing better to do!"

"Are you sure you haven't been here before?" he asked her. "No normal person would ever know these kinds of things, you know."

"Sango told me," she sighed. "By the way, normal people aren't isolated in their houses since birth, either."

Inuyasha smirked at her. "I already know I'm not normal. Normal people don't have dog ears."

"Whatever," Kagome muttered. To be honest, she didn't really have a comeback for Inuyasha's remark this time. The boy's social skills were developing quite quickly, considering the amount of human contact he had been exposed to before running away. She frowned. "Is it just me, or are you becoming more intelligent?"

He shrugged. "I don't feel as if I've changed."

"Maybe you're smarter because you're in the company of a more intelligent being!" she exclaimed.

"What, the trees?" he muttered sarcastically.

Kagome glared at him. "You didn't need to respond to that," she pouted.

"Keh. You didn't need to act like a stupid little girl, either," he responded, slightly pleased at her inability to think of a comeback to his own insult.

"Little girl!" she exclaimed. "You're younger than me!"

"So you're an old woman?" he shot back.

"I'm fifteen, which is definitely older than you are!"

He remained silent… she did have a point.

Wait – "Fifteen this year, or last?"

Kagome frowned. "Since next week. Why?"

"So you're fourteen. Then you're not older than me," he muttered. "Not enough to matter, anyway."

"A few years doesn't matter?" she argued. "Or did you just turn fourteen and think a year is nothing?"

He scowled at her. "A few _months_, more like."

Kagome shivered; those words reminded her of her currently anonymous fiancé. Inuyasha couldn't be the only boy born in the summer, who was the same age, and who also came from a noble family…

"Bitch?" he asked, puzzled by her silence.

The hime shook her head to clear her mind. "Of course he's not the only one," she muttered to herself. "Summer is a common time for children to be born. I should be thankful that I'm marrying – I _would be _marrying – a nicer person than Inuyasha."

By this time, the hanyou had crept closer to her and poked her shoulder. "You're too quiet, bitch."

…After all, no one could be more annoying than Inuyasha. "Thank you for the warning," she hissed, stalking farther ahead to the river. The hanyou frowned, wondering at her change in attitude. Shrugging – he would _never_ understand girls – he followed her to the river.

This was where the actual problem emerged.

See, Kagome was female. Females do not like remaining unclean for long periods of time – in this case, two days. Kagome promptly decided that the river was an excellent place to take a bath.

A bath, of course, meant no Inuyasha. And after the… incident… earlier that day, she was quite reluctant to be placed in a position where Inuyasha could easily create a repeat of that incident. He needed supervision.

Unfortunately, there was no one to provide said supervision. Since the bath took priority over embarrassment in Kagome's mind, she grudgingly decided to trust him.

"Inuyasha," she told him, "I need to take a bath."

He stared blankly at her.

"Inuyasha," she repeated. "I want to take a bath."

He didn't respond.

"_Inuyasha_. I need you to _leave_ so I can take a bath."

The hanyou blinked at her. "Why?"

Kagome shook her head in frustration. "I'm going to be cleaning myself! I don't want _males_ seeing me in such a state!" she cried. "Don't you understand that?"

"Sure," he said, shrugging. "I'll make sure no guys come to watch."

"That includes you," she said flatly.

He gave her a confused look. "How am I supposed to make sure that no men see you when I have to go away?"

"Inuyasha," she hissed, "you are the only male in this forest that I am concerned about. I can take a bath _on my own_."

"Sure you can," he told her condescendingly. "And if a crow attacks you, I'm sure you'll find a way to deal with it on your own."

Kagome glared at the younger teenager. "If a crow attacks me, you'll be stuck without a guide in the forest."

"Meaning I'll reach the other side in a week, as opposed to a month," Inuyasha responded.

"And I won't give you food."

That shut him up.

"Fine," Inuyasha said, scowling, "but it's not like I'd be tempted to look, anyway."

"You'd better not," Kagome said menacingly. "Now, if you'll excuse me…" She dropped her bag onto the ground and began to remove her shoes.

"Going! I'm going!" Inuyasha said quickly, placing a hand over his eyes with exaggerated motions and quickly making his way into the underbrush – after snatching some ramen, of course.

"About time," Kagome muttered to herself as she finished changing and slid carefully into the (icy) water. "Ah, cold…"

After having such a difficult time with her traveling companion, it was only natural for her to use this time to reflect on her situation and what she had done to displease the gods…

_Why do I have to stay with him, anyway?_ she fumed. _His attitude is terrible, he's immature, thinks I need him or something – and I have to feed him, too…_

_But I'd feel bad if anything happened to him. He's younger than I am, and not that bright. He couldn't get out of here without help._

Kagome's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by something cold brushing against her feet. She screamed.

"_What_ is it this time?!" The sound of bushes being trampled and the pounding of feet could mean anything, but the accompanying voice allowed her to narrow down the suspects… Ignoring the cold feeling and the chill of the water, Kagome promptly threw herself into the water and faced away from the bank where she knew that a certain male would be standing.

"Inuyasha," she hissed, "_go away_."

"But you screamed!" he protested. "What if it was a youkai or something?"

"It was a _fish_." At least, she hoped it was; a quick glance at the cold, clear water told her that her assumption had been correct. "I was shocked, that's all."

Wait, clear?

"…Inuyasha, could you please leave for a moment."

"I'm not leaving now! What if a kappa shows up, or-"

"Then _turn around_." Her embarrassment was quickly overpowering the desire to fight. "Now."

Inuyasha muttered something, but when Kagome turned her head to check, he was facing the other way. She quickly made her way back to the bank, climbed out, and grabbed her clothes… they would be wet, but it was a better alternative than walking around with nothing. As she dressed quickly, she noticed Inuyasha's ears swiveling around to face her.

_It could be worse,_ she thought.

She had just pulled on her skirt and was reaching for her bra when the ground beneath her foot crumbled. With a gasp, Kagome tumbled into the water.

"Shit-" And Inuyasha was distracted yet again.

"You bastard!" she shrieked. "I haven't got… I…" Blushing dark red, she reached out to hit the nearest body part of the hanyou – his ankle. He immediately lost his balance and tumbled forward into her, breaking his gaze, but also completely soaking both of them.

"What did you do that for, you bitch?" He spat out a stream of water to the side and glared (at her face).

"You were staring again!" she pointed out.

"Yes, but… it's not like I wanted to!" He had gone redder than she had by this point. "And anyway, you're the one walking around without anything on top!"

"Walking – I slipped and fell! I didn't _ask_ for your attention!" Her hand finally connected with his face and he cringed with pain. "Now turn around!"

And finally, Kagome could finish changing. When she finally crawled out of the water, and Inuyasha noticed and followed her, he found her continuing to give him a nasty look. He scowled.

"And you still haven't found a way to get across," he pointed out.

"We're soaking wet," she said icily. "We might as well swim."

Inuyasha couldn't think of any way to respond, and was forced to scowl and follow her across the river.

So their adventure continued.

* * *

I don't really know why I felt able to write Inuyasha fanfiction when I have not only failed to read any in the past year but also am in the middle of a D.Gray-Man obsession. Maybe I just needed to finish this chapter.

I'm not inspired to write any more in this idea, but I just don't care for it anymore. I might as well finish it at some point, though.


End file.
